The Energon Pub

All I have to say to everyone crying about how a wide release of the seekers would sell, I do not think they would sell as well as you think. Sure collectors like us would buy them but I doubt the public would buy 6 versions of the same mold. Look at store shelves now. First I see Starscream flooding shelves at every store I go to along with Mirage, Ramjet, and Cliffjumper. Oh and lets not forget that the Target Exclusive 2-pack that had Skywarp didn't exactly fly off shelves either. It sold so well Target had to put it on clearance less then 2 months after it was released.

Yes I would have liked to see a wide release of these figures. I doubt I will be able to get them. If I want them bad enough I will have to cut back my spending in other areas.

The only people I think have a legitimate complaint are people who do not live in the U.S., Canada, or Japan (Since Japan get cool exclusives that we never get ), simply because of the added shipping cost of the set to be shipped.

I think we should all calm down. Who knows we may get these characters with slightly different paint schemes in the future or no remolding if this set gets any remolding done to it.

Counterpunch wrote:I'm going to drink GetterDragon, ACS, Seibs, and everyone else, straight under the table at BotCon.

and we're playing Attacktix for shots...

Awesome! First person down buys the next round!

I think everyone here is misjudging the amount of revenue the fan base generates for TF sales. I don't know how many of each figure is produced and how many figures need to be purchased before a wave is considered profitable. But by releasing Thundercracker as a Convention Exclusive says to me that Hasbro does not thing they could sell enough of them to make the production run profitable.

Well that just sucks since I will never make it to the convention. I won't be completing my seeker collection and man those are the three I really wanted especial thrust.

If it weren't for the fact i'm downloading the new Dr Who i'd be extremely pissed off at this.

Instead i'm just extremely disappointed.

Now which one of you bastards can I trust enough to pick me up an unboxed set? (Seriously, I want to work a deal with someone ...)

A couple of points.

First off, I have been fortunate enough to have landed a great job after college and am frankly, overpaid. Despite this, it still stings as these figures are $10 shelf items repainted and I do feel ripped off. I think as far as far as this sentiment goes, both those who can and cant afford the set do feel the same way.

However, I feel that everyone is fogetting that the 279 is meant to cover a lot more than just the figures. It gives access to what a lot of fans would consider is a very fun weekend and a pin with your name on it.

Additionally this DOES make a hell of a lot of business sense. I have never attended a botcon as the figures there have primarily been post G1. This exclusive will get people like me onto the premises. As skeptical as I am as to the fun factor at a convention, (which I have always stereo typed us uber dorky in the Star Trek mold), I may have a great time and end up being a regular.

Not to mention the fact that I see Classics clogging up the shelves everywhere I go. If not for this convention, I really think that no classic seekers would ever have hit the shelves. Also, if Hasbro thought they could make more money putting these on shelves, trust me, they would.

For those that cannot afford the figures, hold steady. Its only a matter of time till you have some extra cash and see them for sale somewhere.

Just my 2 cents. Not meant to sound patronizing or anything of that ilk.

Also, I am still wondering how long it normally takes for the Primus pack to sell out?

Burn wrote:If it weren't for the fact i'm downloading the new Dr Who i'd be extremely pissed off at this.

Instead i'm just extremely disappointed.

Now which one of you bastards can I trust enough to pick me up an unboxed set? (Seriously, I want to work a deal with someone ...)

I already sent my order in, or I would pick one up for you.

If the orders are revisable, I'll see what I can do.

I definately agree with the lot of you. Unfortunately for me, being a poor college student, such a set would definately be out of my price range. I always figured that BotCon exclusives was a line of, for lack of a better term, an "Elseworlds" style of line. Characters who fit out of the regular continuity of the line it represents. Suggestions of repaints, such as Sunstorm, are what we are usually see when we hear BotCon exclusive. I'm disappointed that hte exclusives are figures we all hoped for to be future retail releases, but as we can all see, thats not the case. What I would rather have seen would be a troop builder type of set, probably some seeker drones, Sunstorm, Nemesis Prime, Bugbite, and Dreadwind. But thats wishful thinking at this point. 'Nuff Said.

Burn wrote:Now which one of you bastards can I trust enough to pick me up an unboxed set? (Seriously, I want to work a deal with someone ...)

We might trust you more if you didn't think we're all bastards...

Burn wrote:If it weren't for the fact i'm downloading the new Dr Who i'd be extremely pissed off at this.

Instead i'm just extremely disappointed.

Now which one of you bastards can I trust enough to pick me up an unboxed set? (Seriously, I want to work a deal with someone ...)

Are you in the UK? Let me know when Botcon comes around and I'll see if I can get you them.

Ok, I htink my question is getting lost in the end of my post above.

Anyone know how long the Primus pack normally sells out in or is it unlimited?

Bonger wrote:For those that cannot afford the figures, hold steady. Its only a matter of time till you have some extra cash and see them for sale somewhere.

Actually, there's a lot more than time involved in that. There's being able to find them available at the hypothetical time when you have the funds available. You also have to be able to have the accepted payment method, available, and, for some of us, the seller will also affect the ability to buy them. Not everyone has a credit card, after all, so not everyone can shop online.

Bonger wrote:However, I feel that everyone is fogetting that the 279 is meant to cover a lot more than just the figures.

Which is all well and good. The problem being that the non-attending price is the same amount. Even making the non-attending set $200, which is still a vast and ridiculous markup, would've made this vastly more reasonable and easy to swollow for the fandom.

Counterpunch wrote:

Burn wrote:If it weren't for the fact i'm downloading the new Dr Who i'd be extremely pissed off at this.

Instead i'm just extremely disappointed.

Now which one of you bastards can I trust enough to pick me up an unboxed set? (Seriously, I want to work a deal with someone ...)

I already sent my order in, or I would pick one up for you.

If the orders are revisable, I'll see what I can do.

Do you have to preorder this?

In addition, 200 pieces of the five-figure convention set (in poly bags, no box, no certificate, etc) will be available for $179. Only Transformers Collectors Club Member Primus or Iacon Package holders can take advantage of this offer and sets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. This is a great way to increase your ‘bots for maximum display impact without having to take your figures out of the display box. Our special convention figures will NEVER be sold at retail stores and are extremely limited. This extra set is limited to one per Primus or Iacon Package purchased.

I assumed these were simply for sale and it was on a first come first serve basis. I think that's how it was done in previous years.

83457W422102 wrote:We might trust you more if you didn't think we're all bastards...

Probably, but at least you know i'm honest!

GetterDragon wrote:Are you in the UK? Let me know when Botcon comes around and I'll see if I can get you them.

Australia actually. Makes it REALLY hard to get a set here.

It would be so funny that after all of this, the majority of the people in this thread would still go out and spend the money on these so call "expensive rubber" .

Archibald Witwicky wrote:

Bonger wrote:However, I feel that everyone is fogetting that the 279 is meant to cover a lot more than just the figures.

Which is all well and good. The problem being that the non-attending price is the same amount. Even making the non-attending set $200, which is still a vast and ridiculous markup, would've made this vastly more reasonable and easy to swollow for the fandom.

Point taken. I agree with that. I would have loved to be able to buy the set for 200 without the box online and save myself a drive to RI.

It seems so disappointing. I have to do without.

KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN

Brakethrough wrote:KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN

You win the thread. Srsly.

<3

Archibald Witwicky wrote:

Brakethrough wrote:KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN

You win the thread. Srsly.

<3

However, he forgot "IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!" and "SPARTAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Archibald Witwicky wrote:Which is all well and good. The problem being that the non-attending price is the same amount.

I'm going around countering this argument tonight.

The non-attendee package is not intended to offer some kind of special deal for those who can't afford to go, or don't want to go to the convention. It is for those who can afford to, but for whatever reason, are not able to.

The toys are part of the whole draw. You want to get the toys? Then by gum, you save your pennies, and you go to BotCon and you GET those toys. The whine that the non-attendance package costs the same as going is the talk of someone who wants to get the toys made specially for the convention without actually having to go to it. How on Earth do you believe that you should be able to get these toys for less than the people who actually make the effort to save and attend the event? And financially, for FP, where's the logic in that? "Hey, guys, buy the toys for less here so you don't have to bother spending more money to come to the con and get them!" The toys are made for the con - if you can't afford to go the convention, then you can't have the toys.

There was a time when you either went to the con, or you got nothing. The fact that FP are even offering an option that allows you to acquire the toys without having to pay the extra money actually going to the con would incur (travel, accomodation, food, etc) is a great service that people bitch and moan about without thinking.

83457W422102 wrote:

Archibald Witwicky wrote:

Brakethrough wrote:KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN

You win the thread. Srsly.

<3

However, he forgot "IT'S OVER NINE THOUSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAND!" and "SPARTAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

and "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO."

Sounds like a Botcon set I'll avoid.

I mean really... its an "obvious" sort of thing to repaint the seekers... it's something that everyone wants, they're easy to do (*cough repaint, no new scult, cough*), and that makes it so obvious that its just not worth it.

I mean, look at the set from the previous year that had Cybertronian forms for the Beast Wars cast. THAT was class. Those were figures that took some thought.

If I were to buy these, and display them, anyone looking at them would just shrug and go, "yeah, that's Thrust, and Dirge, etc.... so what...?"

We know that Bugbite is just going to be a repaint of Bumblebee... "yawn."

I would be fine if they did one seeker a year or something, but a whole package considering primarily of seekers is just lazy.

And DEFINATELY not worth the price.

Chris McFeely wrote:

Archibald Witwicky wrote:Which is all well and good. The problem being that the non-attending price is the same amount.

I'm going around countering this argument tonight.

The non-attendee package is not intended to offer some kind of special deal for those who can't afford to go, or don't want to go to the convention. It is for those who can afford to, but for whatever reason, are not able to.

The toys are part of the whole draw. You want to get the toys? Then by gum, you save your pennies, and you go to BotCon and you GET those toys. The whine that the non-attendance package costs the same as going is the talk of someone who wants to get the toys made specially for the convention without actually having to go to it. How on Earth do you believe that you should be able to get these toys for less than the people who actually make the effort to save and attend the event? And financially, for FP, where's the logic in that? "Hey, guys, buy the toys for less here so you don't have to bother spending more money to come to the con and get them!" The toys are made for the con - if you can't afford to go the convention, then you can't have the toys.

There was a time when you either went to the con, or you got nothing. The fact that FP are even offering an option that allows you to acquire the toys without having to pay the extra money actually going to the con would incur (travel, accomodation, food, etc) is a great service that people bitch and moan about without thinking.

I think the problem is not that people are thinking "wtf i want teh toyz but i dun waanna go 2 teh coN" but instead "These shouldn't have been Convention exclusives in the first place."

Okay, I've checked the prices for this convention and the hotel they have set up, and researched the airfare. I wanted to go, but the prices involved are ridiculous. I *may* get the non-attendee package, and be done with major purchases this year, unless I get either a big raise or a new job that pays more.

I just paid Uncle Sam and Auntie Virginia nearly $2K worth of taxes this year. I cannot afford this stupidity too.